In this day and age, more and more consumers are looking to do business with companies that put the environment at the forefront of their ethos. Not to mention, being more eco-friendly is a great way to save money and save the planet simultaneously.
That said, it can be difficult to know where to start making changes to your working practices. One of the best starting points is to pivot your attention from hardware to software.
But, why and how does a new-found concentration on software help your business be more eco-conscious? Let’s take a look.
Reduce the need for travel
If you have a lot of meetings or host a fair amount of events, chances are attendees will have to commute to the location via car, train, or perhaps even plane. And, it goes without saying that these carbon-heavy modes of transport aren’t exactly eco-friendly.
With this in mind, instead of sourcing new hardware or physical spaces to improve your meetings and events, you might consider looking at tailored cloud-based software, such as a webinar platform.
But, ‘what is a webinar platform?’ we hear you ask. A webinar platform is a piece of software that allows you to host meetings and events online for remote attendees. With inbuilt features like polls and analytics, they boast the opportunity to really improve your way of networking.
A similar logic applies to remote working
By investing in software that assists employees in working from home even just some of the time, you reduce (or even eradicate) the need for employees to commute to work. Currently, the average daily commute is 15-29 minutes in the UK.
In doing so, you have the opportunity to significantly reduce the net carbon emissions that such regular travel can produce. Thus, it shows that you want to actively lower your business’s carbon footprint.
So, instead of purchasing physical hardware like desktops, phones, monitors, and so on, consider software solutions that allow workers to log into your virtual office, and databases, and even attend meetings from the comfort of their homes, on their existing devices.
Less waste
The government estimates that the UK generates around 43.9 million tonnes of commercial and industrial waste in a year. Though, of course, the majority of this will likely be by-products of construction and manufacturing. This also includes things like old hardware.
One way to reduce the amount of waste your business produces is to try and ensure that your hardware stays in working order for as long as possible – in other words, invest in software rather than throwing out hardware as soon as it shows signs of being dated.
Let’s look at an example — by the end of 2025, the PSTN for landline phones will be switched off. Now, this might cause businesses to simply ditch their hardware for newer models with different functionality.
However, by doing a little bit of research, you can find that many handsets support voice over the internet protocol (VoIP) already – or, if they don’t, you can look into software solutions to upgrade your telephone network, and even have to call capabilities on your existing desktops.
And, there you have it — just a couple of ways in which focussing on sourcing software rather than hardware can help your business be more eco-friendly.
